WATERVILLE, Maine - The North Atlantic Conference (NAC) is joining other NCAA Division III and Division II conferences in celebrating “Officials’ Appreciation Week” during the 2026-2027 academic year. Now in its fifth year, this initiative was established by the Division III Commissioners Association (DIIICA) to honor and express gratitude to officials across all sports.

The commitment of NCAC officials and referees to safe, fair and competitive contests is a critical part of the student-athlete experience.

Officials’ Appreciation Week will be celebrated during the fall, winter and spring sport seasons. To kick off the year, the fall celebration will take place from October 4-October 10 followed by January 17-23 for winter and April 4-10 for spring.

Officials’ Appreciation Week is one of numerous initiatives that are being implemented as part of the Division III Commissioners Association (DIIICA) Strategic Plan for Collegiate Officiating that was created as a result of the DIIICA’s Strategic Analysis of the State of Collegiate Officiating. In conjunction with the NCAA and the National Association of Sports Officials (NASO), there is an urgent need for sports officials, if interested please visit the NCAA’s Say Yes to Officiating platform to learn more.

The NCAA supports several programs to enhance officiating:

• RefReps provides free officiating education across 15 sports.
• Officially Human aims to improve behavior in sports through educational content.
• RefQuest+ offers resources and training for officials that benefits all conferences.